Unborn Child, 2 Adults Die in San Bernardino Crash; 3 Others Injured

Share this:

An unborn child and two adults were killed early Sunday when a vehicle drove off a residential street and crashed at the bottom of a hillside in San Bernardino, authorities said. Three others were injured.

Rescue personnel are seen on Ridge Line Drive in San Bernardino on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013. (Credit: Newspro)

The vehicle tumbled at least 200 feet down the hill after the driver apparently missed a turn on Ridge Line Drive (map), according to Capt. Jason Buchanan of the San Bernardino Fire Department.

Nineteen firefighters responded to the scene about 1 a.m. after a 911 caller reported the crash.

A man and woman who had been ejected from the vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene, Buchanan said. Three other occupants of the vehicle, including a woman who was five months pregnant, were transported to local trauma centers with major injuries.

The pregnant woman, who was extracted from the vehicle by rescue personnel after being trapped inside, survived but lost her unborn child.

All of the adult victims were in their late-teens or early 20s.

Buchanan described the four-hour rescue operation as “technical” and “labor intensive.”

The Upland Police Department airlifted one victim to a hospital, while the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department assisted in lighting the area, he said.

“Evidence at the scene indicates that most of the occupants in this vehicle were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision,” the San Bernardino Police Department said in a statement.

An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information was asked to contact San Bernardino police Officer E. Thomas at 909-384-5791.

Correction: An earlier version of this article erroneously reported that the pregnant woman had died. She was hospitalized with major injuries. The article has been updated to reflect this information.